According to a BusinessWeek article, attendance at the top 200 trade shows in the U.S. was 4.7 million last year and the trade show industry is on a fast rebound after dropping off following the record 5.1 million in 1996. To help exhibitors get the most out of this investment, BusinessWeek complied a couple helpful hits.

Conference Consultants
According to the article, companies can improve their return on investment by implementing suggestions from conference consultants. For instance, some companies put cameras over their booth to track traffic, as well as monitor employee performance. These consultants also recommend design changes to make booths more attractive to conference attendees.

It is also important to understand the crowd attending the trade show. If the majority of attendees are new every year, there is little reason to drastically redesign the booth to keep things fresh.

Some consultants suggest that companies reevaluate their booth space and consider more comforts to show attendees. Subtle changes could result in an inviting feeling, attracting more traffic.

Click here to read more of this article.

In related news, DistriPakUSA — a packaging trade show focusing on the distribution channel — will be co-located with ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America in Florida come October. To date, a number of companies have already endorsed the trade show and are anxious to get in front of the cleaning industry.

To read more about DistriPakUSA, click here.